Torae, “For The Record” Album Review

Creating a seamless, continually listenable Hip Hop album seems to be an art that’s been placed on the back burner in the 21st century music scene. And why wouldn’t it be? Attention spans are at an all-time low when it comes to music, Hip Hop especially. And funny enough, there was a time when the thought of creating an entire album worth of beats and rhymes was laughable at best. But the naysayers were eventually proven wrong, and some of the greatest bodies of music have come from the Hip Hop generation.

However, we’re currently in an era that’s seen the de facto re-introduction of the singles-driven industry. True, there’s a lot of great music out over yonder, but the main problem is that once a fan has been put on to something even tolerable, it seems that they eventually have to move on to the next one and toss out what they’re listening to. Disposability can be a straight up bee-yotch, indeed.

But don’t expect these roadblocks to hinder the progress of industry newcomer Torae. The Brooklyn native has been creating strong buzz for himself and now, with tons of momentum behind him and that very same buzz growing minute by minute, he’s been able to capitalize by recently releasing his official debut, For The Record.

The first shot fired is “Alive”, with production by Khrysis that could have easily fit in with anything heard on, say, Justus League classic joints. On this piece, Torae effortlessly rhymes over a lush, intoxicating beat, his voice in perfect compliment to the deeply throbbing bass line coupled with the smooth, breezy horns flowing throughout, as he easily tosses out stanzas such as:

“Thoughts of a high school graduate/way with words, concepts immaculate/A seed from a seed, no asterisk, but it’s star-studded in the sound of the classic-ness/immersed in a rash act of randomness, outstanding, my candid abandonment/Understandin’ it? I figured as much/a Harvard mind with a nigger-ish touch…” .

An engaging and enjoyable beginning to For The Record, as well as a good indication that this will be a finely honed body of work by the young upstart.

Production on For The Record includes a who’s who of prominent and homage-worthy Hip Hop powerhouses (DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, 9th Wonder, Diamond D and Khrysis). With a roster like that, it’s difficult to see how anyone could NOT be willing to chow down on the food for thought Torae is serving up. And the best thing about the music and production is that it sticks to the script: simple, stripped-down, thumping and throbbing, heavy on the drums and bass, and masterfully horn-driven with little to no fluff or flash. All in all, it’s the exact production from these heavyweights that Torae benefits so well from, and a big part of what makes the project a winner.

Proof exists in the albums’ strongest stretch, between number three, “You Ready?” and number seven, “Do The Math”; this chunk of music contains some of For The Record’s most powerful moments. Further, each song (“You Ready?”, “What It Sound Like”, “Shakedown”, “That Raw”, and “Do The Math”, on which Torae does his own rendition of Jadakiss’s “Why”) serves as a powerful narrative to just how good New York Hip Hop was at one point, and still can be.

“Imagine” is a subdued, serious and somewhat melancholy, but it also touches the heart. It doesn’t go too deep, which is a bit of a shortcoming, because it makes the listener yearn for Torae to share a bit more of himself over this strategically sentimental track. But, even though this piece comes up a bit short of the autobiographical journey that fans may have been looking for, it still contributes greatly to the sum being more than its parts on the entire body of work. Besides, Torae makes up for it on the album closer “Panorama”, a heart pounding and introspective piece of Hip Hop that isn’t afraid to get personal and reflective.

Torae does well to stay in the lane that he’s carved for himself, even though his rhymes can get tiresome and a bit repetitive after a while. Then again, all indications point to Torae being the quintessential hard rock Brooklyn borough MC that takes no prisoners and no shorts, with the ability to stake a serious claim in a game flooded with new jacks doing their best to grab at the crown.

Overall, For The Record is one of the best “debuts” to come around in a while. With a rock-solid foundation in timeless NYC Hip Hop, a hard-hitting rhyme style and top-shelf production from some of Hip Hop’s finest beatsmiths, Torae has created a body of work that could very well be listenable for years to come.

Rating: 4 out of 5